Broad Street Cinema in Red Bank, NJ. seated 100 patrons with American Stellar high-back cinema seats and operated from 1991 to 1995 running first-run, sub-run, classic and “art film” features from all of the major studios. This is referred to “splitting the screen” in order to share several different features on one screen, which was a tremendous accomplishment from a studio booking standpoint.
Fresh AAA grade popcorn complemented with real Land-O-Lakes butter was served at the concession, prices $1.00 to $2.00 for candy, beverage or popcorn buckets.
A happy and helpful staff was paid $10.00 per hour, which was over the top in those days, but they were worth so much more as they were, in a word, perfect! So kind, intelligent and helpful. They each moved on to great success in life.
A functional 100 year old antique telephone was offered free (pre-smartphone era) of charge to guests in the large 54 foot lobby complete with working antique radio, Imported Italian sofas and a trellis with live flowering plants.
Projection systems included; a Century-SA 35MM projector head, ORC Xenon lamp-house complemented with a Ballantyne-Strong platter system and 4 track Dolby stereo sound decoder. Also a Bell & Howell JAN twin head carbon-ARC 16MM projector system was maintained to support small independent features popular at the time.
In Broad Street Cinema’s hay-day free reservations were required for all showtimes.
It all came crashing down when the owner was involved in a major automobile accident, hit by a drunk driver. The owner survived (no fatalities) but required extensive medical treatment in 2 hospitals. Yes, the owner survived and is doing rather well today, but the business, in his absence did not.
I should know, I was the owner. My name is Keith, and at the age of 24, Broad street Cinema (Cinema Classics Company) was my pet project that brought so much joy to so many people.
After the accident, I returned home to my career in network television in New York City. To this day when I am at work in a busy noisy TV studio, during a quiet moment backstage that little theater and all of the wonderful staff, guests and townspeople of hip 1990’s Red Bank still bring a smile to my heart.
Broad Street Cinema in Red Bank, NJ. seated 100 patrons with American Stellar high-back cinema seats and operated from 1991 to 1995 running first-run, sub-run, classic and “art film” features from all of the major studios. This is referred to “splitting the screen” in order to share several different features on one screen, which was a tremendous accomplishment from a studio booking standpoint.
Fresh AAA grade popcorn complemented with real Land-O-Lakes butter was served at the concession, prices $1.00 to $2.00 for candy, beverage or popcorn buckets.
A happy and helpful staff was paid $10.00 per hour, which was over the top in those days, but they were worth so much more as they were, in a word, perfect! So kind, intelligent and helpful. They each moved on to great success in life.
A functional 100 year old antique telephone was offered free (pre-smartphone era) of charge to guests in the large 54 foot lobby complete with working antique radio, Imported Italian sofas and a trellis with live flowering plants.
Projection systems included; a Century-SA 35MM projector head, ORC Xenon lamp-house complemented with a Ballantyne-Strong platter system and 4 track Dolby stereo sound decoder. Also a Bell & Howell JAN twin head carbon-ARC 16MM projector system was maintained to support small independent features popular at the time.
In Broad Street Cinema’s hay-day free reservations were required for all showtimes.
It all came crashing down when the owner was involved in a major automobile accident, hit by a drunk driver. The owner survived (no fatalities) but required extensive medical treatment in 2 hospitals. Yes, the owner survived and is doing rather well today, but the business, in his absence did not.
I should know, I was the owner. My name is Keith, and at the age of 24, Broad street Cinema (Cinema Classics Company) was my pet project that brought so much joy to so many people.
After the accident, I returned home to my career in network television in New York City. To this day when I am at work in a busy noisy TV studio, during a quiet moment backstage that little theater and all of the wonderful staff, guests and townspeople of hip 1990’s Red Bank still bring a smile to my heart.
Thank you all so much for the warm memories!
-Keith